2013-14 Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Week – No. 8

Newby earns weekly honor after leading Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) to three American Midwest Conference victories

February 25, 2014

By: Sam Knehans, Communications & Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hayley Newby of Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) has been named the NAIA National Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Newby was selected based on her performances from Feb. 17-23 and was chosen out of a pool of conference and independent award winners.

Newby, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., led Freed-Hardeman to three American Midwest Conference (AMC) victories last week, helping the Lady Lions rebound from their first loss of the season on Feb. 15. On Feb. 18—as part of a 16-point, 8-rebound performance against Harris-Stowe (Mo.)—Newby scored the 1,000th point of her career, becoming the 31st Lady Lion to reach the career milestone. Two days later, the junior forward nearly became the first Lady Lion in 13 years to post a 20-20 game, falling just one rebound shy with a 20-point, 19-rebound output against Park (Mo.). On Feb. 22, in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Game of the Week against No. 12 Columbia (Mo.), Newby scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Lady Lions two-point win. With the victory, Freed-Hardeman controls its own destiny in the AMC, needing just one more win to clinch its first conference title in its first year of AMC membership. For the week, Newby shot .533 from the field (24-of-45), while averaging 19.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

On the year, Newby has scored in double-digits in all of Freed-Hardeman’s 28 contests and leads the Lady Lions in points per game (18.93), rebounds per game (10.64) and blocks (19). Nationally, she ranks among the top 25 in total rebounds (8th, 298), total scoring (11th, 530), total rebounds per game (11th, 10.64), offensive rebounds per game (12th, 4.04), defensive rebounds per game (13th, 6.61), points per game (16th, 18.93) and field goal percentage (24th, .509).